Gary Young marked his return to the Braintree Table Tennis League by grabbing the ultimate prize, the open singles title, at the league’s finals night at the weekend.

It marked a long, and interrupted, journey since his last finals night appearance as runner-up in the restricted singles in 1999.

It was shortly after that event that he set out to improve by going to a number of training camps with leading international players and attended numerous tournaments.

Within five years he won the men’s singles in the Clacton League.

That he has pretty much retained that standard was clear from his performances at the weekend where he overcame two stubborn opponents, Aron Jordan in the semi final and Luke Burridge in the final.

Jordan’s pimple bat initially gave him some problems and the Sudbury player took the first game comfortably.  Young hit back to take the second and the turning point came in the third game. 

Jordan again seemed on course for a surprise win but Young staged a comeback from 7-9 to win 11-9 and then took the fourth relatively straightforwardly.

The final was even more straightforward.

Burridge, who had beaten Alistair Hill in five games in a fluctuating semi-final, lit up proceedings with some of the forceful smashes that had put out top seed Paul Davison in the quarter final but he generally looked overawed by the occasion and Young eased to the title.

It was one three victories.

He never allowed Ken Lewis to settle in the over 50s final.  Although Lewis staged something of a rally in the third game when hits that had missed the table in the first two started to go on, the result never looked in doubt.

By contrast there was distinct doubt about his third title, the men’s doubles, where he and Davison were odds-on favourites.

Lewis was at the other end again and he and Karl Baldwin threatened a major upset.  With admirable control and several unexpected shots, they took the first two games.

But the Netts pairing eventually clicked into gear and took the final three games comfortably.

Young’s haul of titles was bettered by both Alesha Ellis-Austin and Ethan Collins, who each won a total of five events.

Ellis-Austin, who won four events the previous weekend, provided the only upset of the evening when she overcame top seed Matthew Brown in the restricted singles.

Brown had lost only once in 57 outings in division two and had beaten Ellis-Austin less than a month earlier.

And all appeared to be going to plan when he strolled through the first game 11-3.

But Ellis-Austin upped her game after the change of ends and forced Brown back into a more defensive mode the longer the match went on.  She was fearless with her hitting even when on the brink of going two games down at deuce in the second, grew in confidence after that and won the next two as well.

Ethan Collins, who also won his first four titles the previous weekend, never appeared in any danger in the junior boys’ singles.  His probe and smash game was too much for James Howard.  The Netts player showed some neat touches of his own but not enough to worry Collins, who became the youngest ever winner of the title, at the age of just ten.

Ellis-Austin was on the losing side in one event, the mixed doubles.

She and Rev Matthews had to give second best to Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert but as two second division players against a first division regular and a player surely destined to be in division one next season, this was to be expected.

What was not expected was the fight they put up. 

Dodd and Cuthbert had the greater all-round control and the snappier hits, but the Notley pair were not to be outdone and produced some classy winners of their own. 

They hit back to take the second game after losing the first and only succumbed narrowly 11-9, 11-9 in the third and fourth

Like Ellis-Austin, Young was also denied a clean sweep.

He and Netts A teammate Paul Davison produced the tightest match of the evening in the veterans’ singles final.

With similar styles and seemingly able to attack from anywhere on the court, they traded blows before Davison just held on to take the title, his sixth in seven attempts, at 11-8 in the fifth game.

Results:  Open singles final: Gary Young beat Luke Burridge 11-6, 11-3, 11-7; semi finals: Young beat Aron Jordan 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4; Burridge beat Alistair Hill 7-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7.

Men’s doubles: Young and Paul Davison beat Karl Baldwin and Ken Lewis 8-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5

Over 50s singles: Young beat Lewis 11-3, 11-4, 11-6

Veterans’ singles: Davison beat Young 11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8

Junior singles: Ethan Collins beat James Howard 11-3, 11-4, 11-5

Restricted singles: Alesha Ellis-Austin beat Matthew Brown 3-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-6

Mixed doubles: Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert beat Ellis-Austin and Rev Matthews 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9

Report by Ron Fosker

Team Handicap Cup Final 2025 Special

Cold Norton B smashed their way to a fantastic Double as they added the Team Handicap Cup to their recent Division 1 Title – a feat not achieved since 2013. Using a tight squad of 5 players over the season this team has beat allcomers – from whatever division they hail and with whatever handicaps they are challenged with.

The Final itself was a seemingly straightforward affair as the Mighty Nortonites won out 5-0, maintaining a run to the crown without dropping a single match along the way – 4 rounds and all won 5-0. A challenge has been laid down to the Handicap Committee for next season! However the individual matches were not all straightforward as 3 of the 5 matches went to deciding legs. Mervyn Perriman (-2) and his 80 year old legs gave Cold Norton captain Dan Anderson (-12) a fright when he fought back to square their match at 1-1 but Anderson knuckled down and his younger legs did the damage as the deciding game edged to its conclusion. The closest match of the evening saw Alan Scammell (-5) push Ian Wall (-18) to breaking point. The 1st leg was too close to call and at 20-20 could have gone either way but Wall edged it, then the 2nd leg went to 20-20 again and at this point surely Wall as the better player would see the match through. But oh no he didn’t, as Scammell pushed and prodded for his life and came through 23-21. The final leg saw Wall catch up his handicap a bit quicker and he was able to see the game out for a dramatic victory. The 5th and final point was brought home by the unbeatable doubles pairing of Wall and Eric Green (-17) against the defensive stalwarts Scammell and Denis Balic (-5).

An early finish and a night out celebrating for our Finalists and their entourages.

Pic 1 – Cold Norton B – Team Handicap Cup Winners 2025 (Ian Wall, Dan Anderson, Eric Green)

Pic 2 – Runners-Up Blackwater A – Denis Balic, Alan Scammell and Mervyn Perriman.

Pic 3 – Cold Norton’s Captain Dan Anderson in his tight match with Perriman.

Pic 4 – Blackwater’s Mervyn Perriman in Cup Final action this week

Report by Eamonn Hall

On Sunday 6^th April Jamie Elliot (Matchpoint TTC) and Ollie George Hockley TTC) proudly represented the Southend League in the English League Cup competition, hosted by Wensum TTC in Norwich.

In their opening match the boys delivered a dominating performance against the Peterborough League, securing a convincing 5-0 victory. The format was four singles and one doubles for the two man teams and this match turned out a little one sided as they only dropped one set in the five matches played.

The second fixture was a challenging encounter against the reigning national champions, the Norwich League. Despite a valiant effort from Jamie and Oliver, Southend were narrowly defeated, with the final scoreline 4-1 in favour of Norwich. The boys found themselves 3-0 down fairly quickly losing the first two singles and the doubles in straight sets, but then had their solitary taste of success thanks to Jamie. He got into an epic five set battle before winning 11/3 in the final set. Ollie went down in four sets in his second match.

Overall, the Southend League finished in a commendable second place in the qualification event for the Carter Cup (Eastern Zone).

Twenty-year-old Luke Burridge brought off the shock of the day in the Braintree Table Tennis League individual events when he knocked out reigning champion Paul Davison.

Davison, winner for the last two years and a record eight times in all, looked to have regained control of the quarter final when he pulled back to two games each after losing the first two.

But Burridge stuck to his guns, especially his big gun, an incredibly fast forehand smash,  and emerged victorious at 11-8 after a fluctuating fifth game.

Burridge, the No.7 seed, will be one of three new names in the open singles semi finals to be played on finals night at Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday (7.00).

He will be joined by Gary Young, the No.2 seed, and Aron Jordan, seeded at No.8, together with Alistair Hill, who reached the semi final in 2023.

Both Young and Jordan – who face each other in the semi final – had relatively easy passages to the last four, Young dealing with veteran campaigner Ken Lewis and Jordan’s patient probing game nullifying the spirited promise of Alesha Ellis-Austin.

Hill on the other hand had a humdinger of a match against No.5 seed Adam Cuthbert, coming from behind to win a tight battle 11-9 in the fifth game.

Davison and Young, the top seeds, made their way through to the final of the men’s doubles where they will face the Sudbury pair of Lewis and Karl Baldwin.

In the semi final, they accounted for Robin Armstrong and Adam Cuthbert while Lewis and Baldwin came past James and Oliver Hicks

Davison and Young will be facing each other in the veterans’ singles final after semi final wins over Lewis and James Hicks respectively.

Alesha Ellis-Austin, new to the league this year, is the new ladies’ singles champion after a victory over the holder Louise Hartshorn in an event played to a finish at the weekend.

Ellis-Austin will still be seen twice on finals night.  She and Rev Matthews will face Natalie Dodd and Adam Cuthbert in the final of the mixed doubles and she is also in the final of the restricted singles after a victory over Richard Fifield in the semi final. 

Her opponent will be Matthew Brown, beaten in the league this season only by Natalie Dodd, who did not enter that event.

And there is the prospect of a youngest ever winner of the junior boys’ singles where top seed ten-year-old Ethan Collins lines up against 16-year-old James Howard.

Report by Ron Fosker

Brotherhood F may have already guaranteed top spot in Division Three of the Clacton League, but the battle for the runners-up position is still wide open.

Brotherhood H won 6-4 against Windsor Falcons, Savindu De Silva, Harindu De Silva and Owen Woollard all winning two. Kelvin Olano-Harper took three for the Falcons but was pushed all the way by Woollard before edging it 11-7 in the fifth.

Matt Sage, Alex Baldock and Sam Watling of Nomads Bobcats picked up all available points in the 10-0 victory over Holland Vulcans. This Bobcats’ victory means that, with just two matches left to play, the Bobcats are now just a single point behind their Brotherhood H rivals.

Elsewhere, Holland Hurricanes defeated Nomads Ocelots 7-3, Gary Stallwood unbeaten. Ian Gwillim’s two for the Hurricanes included an 11-9 in the decider success over Arthur Wells-Garrett. 

An all-Holland clash saw the Lancasters defeat the Mosquitos 7-3, Dave Wright taking three, Pam Cousins two and Grace Andrews one. For the Mosquitos, Brian Abram won two and Pam Blakeley one.

Nomads Leopards drew with Walton D in a match where no-one stayed unbeaten. Dominic Joannou and Lily Liu won two each for the Leopards, as did Maggie Earle and Lynette Sparks for Walton.

In Division One, second-placed Nomads Lions were 9-1 victors over Walton C, Adam Cuthbert and Jason Lloyd undefeated, but they were held to a draw by Brotherhood A, Kevin Gowlett taking his maximum for Brotherhood.    

Hat-tricks for Andy Vincent and Felipe Rodriguez helped Windsor Hawks to a 7-3 success over Walton A, the pair capping an excellent week by staying unbeaten in the Hawks’ 8-2 victory over Lawford. 

In Division Two, Brotherhood C, playing with a guest, beat Windsor Magpies 7-3, to guarantee them a well-deserved runners-up spot. The two Marks, Boyland and Beckham, took maximum points.

Windsor Penguins defeated Brotherhood G 6-4, Neil Chegwidden remaining undefeated. Paul Woolnough won twice for the Penguins, as did Brotherhood reserve, Owen Woollard.

It was 6-4 also for Brotherhood D against Nomads Jaguars, Mark Salter inflicting a first defeat of the season on Jonathan Hockley on his way to a treble.  

Windsor Harriers took three of the four matches which went the distance to edge past Windsor Kestrels 6-4, Jenny Higgins taking vital wins over Jackie Bunce, 11-8 in the fifth, and Peter Aumord, 11-9 in the fifth.

* The Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, take place this weekend on 12th and 13th April at the Coastal Academy Sports Hall. Play starts at 8.45 am on both days, with the finals scheduled for soon after 2.45 pm on both days. Details of check-in times and other information are being sent to all entrants.

* The League has belatedly learned of the death last year of former player Terry Kirby, aged 95 years.

After a long career in table tennis, Terry came to the Clacton League in the late 1990s and played until 2012, when he was well into his eighties. He played for the Walton, Brotherhood and Nomads clubs, initially in Division One. There, he was a wily competitor although never a high-flyer, but latterly, when he moved to Division Two, he was one of the top players at that level and, in 2010/11, helped Nomads Cougars to the runners-up spot. The following year, in his last playing season, he was a member of the Nomads Jaguars team which finished as Knock-Out Cup runners-up.  

Terry had success at the Closed Championships as winner of the Restricted Singles in 2001, and was twice a Division Two Singles winner in 2010 and 2011. But the Super-Veterans title eluded him, finishing as beaten finalist four times in the first six years the event was held.

Off the table, Terry often liked to relate stories, usually with an element of humour, of his table tennis past when he played at a higher level and with higher-ability players. On the table, he was phlegmatic, enjoying the times when he won but philosophical when he lost. As importantly, Terry was a genuinely amiable person who loved his sport. A true table tennis character.

RESULTS

Division 1

Windsor Hawks 7 Walton A 3;

Brotherhood B 10 Lawford 0;

Walton C 1 Nomads Lions 9;

Lawford 2 Windsor Hawks 8;

Nomads Lions 5 Brotherhood A 5.

Division 2

Windsor Harriers 6 Windsor Kestrels 4;

Brotherhood G 4 Windsor Penguins 6;

Nomads Jaguars 4 Brotherhood D 6;

Windsor Magpies 3 Brotherhood C 7.

Division 3

Holland Mosquitos 3 Holland Lancasters 7;

Nomads Leopards 5 Walton D 5;

Holland Vulcans 0 Nomads Bobcats 10;

Nomads Ocelots 3 Holland Hurricanes 7;

Windsor Falcons 4 Brotherhood H 6;

Walton D 10 (w/o) v Nomads Ocelots.

The Clacton and District Table Tennis League’s Closed Championships, sponsored by The Survey Initiative, courtesy of Gary Cattermole, take place on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April at the Clacton Coastal Academy Sports Hall. Seventy players will be competing for thirteen titles.

In the Mens Singles, reigning Clacton champion James Denyer and recently-crowned Colchester champion Paul Hume are top seeds and favourites to make it to the final. But there will be a strong challenge from three previous winners of this event, last season’s beaten finalist Greg Green, and Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young who both reached the semi-finals in 2024.     

James Denyer and Greg Green won the Mens Doubles last year but they’re paired with different partners this time, Denyer with Adam Cuthbert and Green with Paul Hume, and it’s difficult to look beyond these pairings as potential finalists. The partnership of Kevin Gowlett and Gary Young looks the best of the rest.

Gracie Edwards has dominated the Ladies Singles in recent times, triumphing in seven of the past eight seasons. But she may face one of her sternest challenges this year, with Gill Locke, herself a three times champion, making a welcome Championship comeback.

And the pair could also be on opposite sides of the table in the Ladies Doubles final where reigning champions Edwards and Debra Found are seeded to face the new pairing of Locke and Lynette Sparks.

Four combinations stand out in the Mixed Doubles, with holders Greg Green and Gracie Edwards seeded one ahead of James Denyer and Gill Locke. Kevin and Sharon Gowlett, and Paul Hume and Lucy Carvell are likely semi-finalists.

There will definitely be a new name on the Junior Boys Singles trophy where Joe Sherwin and Tom Bryden are seeded to contest the final.

Sherwin and Bryden combine for a second year in the Junior Doubles in an effort to retain the trophy they took last season. But although there are only four pairings in this event, the partnerships of Lucy Carvell and Ruby Gallagher, Callum Hogg and Owen Woollard, and Savindu and Harindu De Silva all pose a potential threat.  

Meanwhile, Ruby Gallagher and Lucy Carvell renew their battle for supremacy in the Junior Girls Singles, a title which Ruby has taken the last two years.

There’s a strong field in the Veterans Singles, with holder Gary Young aiming to win the trophy for a fifth time since 2017. Charlie Fulcher and Kevin Gowlett will provide the strongest challenge, whilst Andy Vincent, John Hatley and Gavin Price are all capable of springing a surprise.  

Charlie Fulcher took the Super-Veterans Singles title in 2024 in his first season with the League and he starts as favourite again this year, ahead of Andy Vincent and Gavin Price.

The Division Two Singles could be one of the most open events of the weekend, with little to choose between the top four contenders. Mark Salter will be aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive title, Jonathan Hockley is unbeaten in the League this season, whilst Scott Campbell and Dave Miller have both been in impressive form in recent weeks.  

By contrast, Kelvin Olano-Harper starts as strong favourite in the Division Three Singles but the Closed Championships do not always go to form and any one of Lucy Carvell, who took the title last year, Tom Bryden, Joe Sherwin, or the unseeded Ruby Gallagher and Matt Sage, are in with a shout.

The Restricted Singles is unseeded and success can sometimes depend on the draw. However, the event starts with a number of potential winners – pick any one of Charlie Fulcher, John Hatley, Ethan Lloyd, Jason Lloyd, John Pattrick, Gavin Price, Andy Vincent, Adam Wilkin or Simon Smith-Daye.      

Overall, 255 matches are due to be played in what will be a very busy weekend’s table tennis. Play begins at 8.45 am on both Saturday and Sunday, with the finals scheduled after 2.45 pm on both days. Admission is free and spectators are welcome. Light refreshments will be available. There will also be a raffle and any donations of prizes would be welcome.

Details of check-in times and other information will be sent to all competitors prior to the event. Any player who has not received this by Tuesday 8th April should contact Peter White on 07795 544498.  

For the record, the seventy competitors at the Championships represents well over fifty per cent of the League’s regular players, an excellent entry for which our players are to be congratulated. 

Report by Tony Oswick

For the first time in eleven seasons, Paul Davison enters the Braintree Table Tennis League individual events this weekend unbeaten in league matches.

Davison has won the men’s singles eight times but has usually been more vulnerable in the league.

It was in 2014 when he last had an unblemished record going into the event and duly won the title, although he subsequently lost in a league match to Rayne A’s Kuan Lim.

This time he starts as a strong favourite to retain his singles title when the events get under way at the Earls Colne Recreation Centre this weekend with finals night on the following Friday.

He may once again face his sternest test against Paul Lucas, who stretched him to 12-10 in the fifth game in last season’s semi final.

But Lucas had beaten him in the league last season.  Not so this time when Davison won in three straight games.

As well as Lucas, Davison can expect a strong challenge from Gary Young, also unbeaten and seeded second.

Young has not had to face Davison, his Netts A teammate, in Braintree but it may be significant that he lost to him in three straight games two weeks ago in the Colchester League.

Davison and Young team up in the men’s doubles with last season’s runners-up Brandon Crouchman and Scott Dowsett seeded to face them in the final.

Louise Hartshorn is seeded to retain her ladies’ singles title but will face strong opposition from 17-year-old Alesha Ellis-Austin, in her first season in the Braintree League.  They have faced each other twice this season and won one each.

In the league, Sudbury Wanderers have clinched the division two title after a 10-0 win over Notley F put them out of range.  They were without Louise Hartshorn for only the second time this season, but Ian Shrubsole, David Hitchen and Colin Moss got the job done.

Meanwhile the race for second place has hotted up with a late run by Black Notley D taking them up into second place.

They jumped above Rayne’s D and E teams with a 9-1 win over Notley F after earlier suffering a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Rayne E but overcoming Rayne F by the same scoreline.

Alesha Ellis-Austin lost to Matthew Brown (11-7 in the fifth game) in the first match but won her other eight sets.

Rayne D and E both drew their other match in the two-week period, the D team becoming only the second team this season to stop Wanderers winning while the E team were held by sixth-placed Netts C.

Adi Kamma made the difference for Rayne D with three wins including the rarity of a set in which all five games were decided by two points, his 9-11, 13-15, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9  victory over Colin Moss.

Netts C and Notley C both had 9-1 wins, against teams from their own stable, D and E respectively.

Notley C also overcame Yeldham Whitlocks A 6-4.

Netts D remain rooted to the bottom after a 9-1 defeat by Rayne F while in the intra-club battle immediately above them, Notley’s E team beat the F team 7-3.

The E team all had to give second best to Graham Chinnery.

The third division title has also been decided after Finchingfield A’s 6-4 win over Sudbury Strollers put them beyond reach.

It was a repeat of the scoreline from the fist time the teams met and is only the second time they have dropped more than three sets.

The details were remarkably similar.  Richard Fifield won his three singles on both occasions while Strollers’ wins were shared, this time two each for John Barrett and Peter Clark and one for Dave Punt, compared with two for Barrett and Punt and one for Clark first time round.

Crucially, they won the doubles on both occasions.

Strollers also had a 9-1 win over Notley H, where Terry Hunneybel won twice in his first outing of the season.

Third-placed Notley G had two 7-3 wins, over Notley I and Netts E.

Dave Montgomery’s 21-set unbeaten run came to an end in the second match, when he was found wanting by both Peter Davenport and Ken Wilding.

Rayne G’s hopes of finishing fourth were diminished after they dropped three points to Netts F and six to Netts E.

Finchingfield B are level on points with them and one point behind Notley I after wins of 9-1 over Rayne H and 7-3 over Yeldham B.  Stewart Grant was unbeaten in both matches.

Yeldham B won their other match, with Netts E, 7-3, with Steve Willis unbeaten

In the clash of the bottom two teams, Rayne H beat Notley H 8-2.  Ethan Collins, back in his normal habitat, won his three singles.

In division one, leaders Netts A, without Paul Davison, lost their 100 per cent record when they were held to a draw by second-placed Rayne A.

Gary Young was unbeaten, including a straight-games win over Paul Lucas.

They also beat Liberal C 9-1.

Third-placed Sudbury Nomads had a 7-3 win over Liberal A, whose three wins all came from Scott Dowsett, and a win of 10-0 over Rayne C, where the main story was the appearance of 10-year-old Ethan Collins in the Rayne team, almost certainly the youngest player ever to appear in the top division.

He was not disgraced either, giving Karl Baldwin (current average 64 per cent) plenty to think about before emerging with an 11-13, 11-3, 12-10, 11-9 win.

Before that, Rayne C had scored their first win of the season, 6-4 over Notley A.

Liberal B jumped above Rayne B into fourth place after 8-2 wins against both Notley B, where they won five of the six sets that went the full five games, and Liberal C.

Rayne B meanwhile had two 6-4 defeats, to Netts B and Notley B.

Jon Hill won his three singles against his former teammates in the first match while Sam Burrows was unbeaten for Notley B.

Notley B also held Nomads to a draw thanks to three singles from Luke Burridge.

Report by Ron Fosker

This year’s final of the Clacton League’s Handicap Cup will be between two teams from the Nomads Club.

In this week’s semi-final matches, the Lions, the only top-flight team left in the competition, beat Third Division Windsor Falcons, whilst the Bobcats overcame Brotherhood F in an all-Division Three tie.

The Lions were 5-1 winners over the Falcons, Paul Hume, Adam Wilkin and, in his first Cup appearance of the season, Ethan Lloyd proving too classy and experienced for their lower Division opponents. The Falcons, who must nevertheless feel pleased to have reached this stage of the competition, picked up just one win, a Kelvin Olano/Matt Thomas (+3) doubles win over Hume and Wilkin (-13).

Credit, too, to the Lions  for their sportsmanship. When one of their opponents was injured during the first doubles and was unable to continue, the Lions chose not to claim that match and subsequent matches but, instead, agreed to re-start the complete tie with the Falcons’ reserve substituting.

The Brotherhood F v Nomads Bobcats tie was a re-match of an earlier Cup match at the Group stage where Brotherhood had triumphed 5-2. But this time the tables were turned, this time the Bobcats winning by the same 5-2 score-line.

In a keenly-fought encounter between two evenly-matched teams, it was all-square at two-all at the half-way stage. But the Bobcats’ trio of Matt Sage, who remained unbeaten on the night, Alex Baldock and Sam Watling made full use of their marginal handicap advantage to take their place in the final, just one year after being beaten semi-finalists.

The final will be played at the Brotherhood Hall on Tuesday 22nd April with play starting at 7.30 pm.  

* In Division One of the League, Nomads Panthers edged nearer to yet another title with yet another win, this time 8-2 over Walton C for a second time this season. Denes Somodi’s hat-trick for the Panthers included a nail-biting 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 12-10 win over Pete Burrows. Gill Locke and John Hatley each won two for the Panthers, whilst there was a couple also for Burrows for Walton.

Nomads Lions cemented their second-place position with a 10-0 victory over bottom side Lawford. Adam Wilkin, Adam Cuthbert and Ethan Lloyd all stayed unbeaten, although Wilkin nearly came a cropper in the final encounter of the evening, edging past John Colvin 13-11, 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9.

Brotherhood A defeated Walton B 7-3, an exact reverse of their early-season score. There were three for Kevin Gowlett, two for John Cleasby, one for Russell Hillier and a Gowlett/Cleasby doubles success, only a fifth doubles victory all season for the Brotherhood team. Mark Gale picked up a couple for Walton, with Paul Meikle beating Hillier 11-9 in the fifth to complete the scoring.

Windsor Buzzards have already wrapped up the Division Two title and they put the icing on the cake with a 9-1 victory over Windsor Harriers. But the score-line belied a much closer encounter, the Buzzards winning all five matches which went the distance. Scott Campbell took his maximum for the Buzzards, as did Pete Bloomfield, although it was 11-8 in the decider for Bloomfield against Barry Allen and 11-9 in the decider against Isabel Barton. Ray Chillingworth’s two wins included an 11-6 in the decider victory against Barton, but he lost to Allen who picked up the Harriers’ sole point.

Finally, in another all-Windsor clash, three for Peter Aumord, two for Jackie Bunce and one for Allen Denyer, plus an Aumord/Graham Bunce doubles win saw the Kestrels home 7-3 against the Magpies. Alan Rutledge, with wins over Denyer and Jackie Bunce, was the Magpies’ best player.

RESULTS

Handicap Cup : Semi-finals

Brotherhood F 2 Nomads Bobcats 5;

Nomads Lions 5 Windsor Falcons 1.

League

Division 1

Nomads Lions 10 Lawford 0;

Nomads Panthers 8 Walton C 2;

Brotherhood A 7 Walton B 3.

Division 2

Windsor Buzzards 9 Windsor Harriers 1;

Windsor Kestrels 7 Windsor Magpies 3.

Report by Tony Oswick

This week saw the Annual Closed Championships of Burnham & District Table Tennis League.  A weekend of sport to separate the contenders from the pretenders and a Finals Evening held to crown the main competition Champions.

Before we arrived at Finals Night there was drama aplenty in the weekend’s sport and qualifiers with lots of standout performances.   Peter Harverson dominated the Junior events winning the Junior Singles and Doubles events without losing a match, partnering Oscar Wyman in the doubles.  Another Junior Arthur Shadforth had heads turning as he won the Fambridge Singles Title for Division 3 players beating red hot favourite Allan Steel in the Final, and also made it all the way to the Handicap Singles Final where he fell to the crafty Peter Chastin.  Shadforth had even beaten the incredible Lee McHugh in a tense semi-final despite being caught at 17-17 in the deciding leg.  To add to his trophy haul Shadforth also came runner-up in the junior events. A bright future for sure.  Adi Kamma came through the pack for a shock win in the Dan Richardson Trophy for Division 2 Players – he was beating everybody and anybody, a real star of the Saturday events.  Ella Sach almost caused the upset of the day when she took Chris Hancox all the way to deuce in the 5^th set – a close call for sure.  That was a near miss but in the Men’s Singles qualifiers we did get the shock of the tournament when Dan Patynski bettered one of the favourites in Lee McHugh and progressed into the knockout stage leaving McHugh to ponder what might have been.  McHugh had already seen some glory when he won the Mixed Open event so he didn’t need to mourn for too long.  Once we got to the knockout stages there was plenty of drama and none more so than John Poysden dispatching top seed and bookies favourite Reece Seddon – Poysden was definitely having a purple patch this tournament as he had also won the Over 60s event the night before beating Eric Green in the Final.  Eric was ok though as he was really only there for the Hardbat tournament which he has dominated for the last 2 years and was by far the best player yet again as he retained his title.  Dick Wyman took the Over 70s Zimmer Frame Cup with a fine display over the very tricky Mervyn Perriman.  The ladies doubles went to form as Dawn Baldry and Shirley Carroll retained their title, as did the Veterans Doubles that saw the power couple pairing of Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read sweep past Eric Green and Simon Jacob in the Final.

Onto Finals Night where the first issue to address was who would make it to the coveted Men’s Single Final.  The first semi-final was probably the most anticipated match-up as we had the young and exuberant Liam Squirrell with his hard-hitting hexagonal paddle, versus the old war horse and perennial retriever Duncan Taylor.  A battle for the ages, of the ages, and it took ages.  The opening game was cagey as our two gladiators sized each other up, and with extended rallies came a plethora of nets and edges that interrupted the flow.  Squirrell edged the first leg but dominated the second to take a 2-0 lead.  At which point Taylor went all Worzel Gummidge on us and screwed on his serious head and took the 3^rd leg.  The 4^th leg was a beautiful example of attack v defence with long sustained rallies as Squirrell teased Taylor resisting the temptation to hit every ball that Taylor was deliberately feeding him.  A game of chess ensued and Squirrell emerged the master of this sport with an 11-6 game score to take the match and march into the Final.  The second semi-final was betwixt the sartorial master of ceremonies John Poysden and the four times champion Kevin Read.  Another battle of styles for the baying crowd.  As soon as play began it was clear that Poysden would look to thwart the Read attack and dominate the play.  Read did pick off any Poysden serve that wasn’t short enough but that was largely his only real success as Poysden racked up the points and Read was forced into a much higher percentage of errors than normal, even giving away multipole foul serves, often on key points.  Poysden progressed to the Final.

The First Final of the night was the Mixed Doubles event where Sue Body and Duncan Taylor were hot favourites.  However, they didn’t have it all their own way as their opponents showed plenty of spirit with Lee McHugh throwing in some Samurai inspired serves and chopping hard to the Body he was able to garner many points.  His partner Tina Hutchinson was fantastic when she opened up and attacked the ball, especially against a Taylor floater – but this didn’t happen enough, much to the crowd’s disappointment as they loved cheering a winner against a Taylor chop.  Taylor was his usual retrieving master and Body was very consistent in returning off both her opponents and this is what swung the match.  So the bookies and Seeding Committee were right as Body & Taylor secured the first crown of the evening.

The next event was the Veterans (Over 40s) Singles Final featuring our two losing semi-finalists from the Men’s Singles, Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read.  In the opening leg Read still seemed out of sorts as the brainfog lingered and his attacking play, especially on the backhand let him down and handed Taylor several ‘got away with that one’ points.  This pattern continued with Taylor working hard retrieving from near and far and his consistency and indomitable defence took him to a quick 2-0 lead.  Read fought back in the 3^rd leg and perhaps Taylor’s concentration levels dropped for a second, and this meant Read was able to benefit from a few winners that saw him through the leg.  By the time we started the 4^th leg Taylor had had a word with himself, tightened his belt as was back in business.  No resurgence from Read as the resilient Taylor spirit was back with a vengeance as he pushed and floated his way to retain his Cup.

After the intermission we were straight into the Men’s Doubles Final again featuring Duncan Taylor and Kevin Read, but this time as partners rather than foes, as they took on the mighty pairing of Liam Squirrell and Reece Seddon.  This one had an Old Guard v New Guard undertone that could spill over into the spicy category.  Seddon was a bit ring-rusty in the opening leg as he and Squirrell adjusted to the experienced partnership opposite them.  So a quick and winning start from Taylor and Read, and plenty of tactical chat from the youth section going into the crucial 2^nd leg.  This was much better tactically from Seddon and Squirrell as they took their time in the rallies and forced their opponents out of position or when the time came hit through them.  So at 1-1 we now had a proper match to enjoy!  The next 2 legs were shared to take us into a winner-takes-all deciding frame.  It was tit-for-tat up until 6-6 when between them Taylor and Read hit 3 unforced errors that gave Seddon and Squirrell an unassailable lead, which they didn’t waste.  That’s two on the spin now for this formidable pairing – is there anyone out there in Burnhamville to challenge them?

The penultimate match of the evening was for the coveted Ladies Singles Cup.  Dawn Baldry and Sue Body were the top seeds and had come through the qualifiers without loss.  Billed as a slugfest but it didn’t turn out that way as our Ladies finalists set too on a push off.  This was working out better for Body as Baldry failed to convert her attacking opportunities into winners – sometimes choosing the wrong ones to hit.  So Body took the cagey first leg, and by now some of the nerves must have switched into adrenaline.  In the next 2 legs both players were more attacking. Baldry deliberately and Body when the chance arrived, so we had a more open contest.  This style of play suited Baldry and she took the next two legs to open up a lead.  Body took the more guarded 4^th leg and then in a nervy final leg both players missed a few early opportunities and this allowed Baldry to switch ends with a tight 5-4 advantage.  Points were shared until Body found herself at 7-8 down, but then hit two errors into the net and Baldry finished off the job with a lovely cross court forehand winner to retain her title.

And so after many preliminary rounds, group stages, and knockout stages we finally arrived at main event where Liam Squirrell and John Poysden would fight it out for the prestigious Men’s Singles Crown.  Perpetuating the changing of the guards theme of Finals Night we had another clash of ages and styles.  Would Poysden, giving up some 45 years of battling, be able to slow down and control the exuberance of Squirrell to allow him to play his game?  Would Squirrell just blast his way past the Poysden defence?  The opening leg was over in a flash with a combination of Squirrell winners and Poysden errors.  In the second leg it was clear that Poysden was trying to shorten the game and push Squirrell out of position.  This was working at times but Squirrell was still able to hit winners even from close to the table and off balance and this somewhat thwarted the Poysden tactics – a closer leg nonetheless.  The 3^rd leg was much tighter in the earlier stages with Poysden now hitting a few winners to match the Squirrell quota but come the business end from 7-8 down Poysden hit a couple into the net as Squirrell kept his composure and saw out the match for his inaugural Burnham Singles Title.  A very worthy winner.

A big thank you to everyone that competed or spectated over the course of the Tournament week.  But of course we would all like to thank the main organiser Tim Huxtable for a cracking job well done along with his fruity sidekicks Alan Dadswell and Dan Anderson.  Also major thanks to Jan Dadswell for her amazing efforts with the refreshments.  Now back to the league contest.

Pic 1 – Liam Squirrell of the Mapledene Club – Men’s Singles Champion 2025

Pic 2 – Action shot from the Men’s Final 2025 – John Poysden v Liam Squirrell.

Pic 3 – Dawn Baldry of the Maldon Club – Ladies Singles Champion 2025

Pic 4 – Action shot from Men’s Doubles Final 2025.

Pic 5 – A great tournament for John Poysden who also won the Over 60s event

Pic 6 – Arthur Shadforth in action on his way to winning the Fambridge Trophy.

Report by Eamonn Hall